i don't know much about bears and camping in bear country. In the US I hung my food in a tree and cooked 100m away from my tent. I never saw a single bear though. In Europe there are very few bears. I have never met a person who saw a bear here. I know that in the very far north there are some polar bears on the islands. Maybe there are some black bears in Eastern Europe. I never took any precautions.Peter

In bear country, it is advised to not keep any kind of food in the tent or even product with a strong smell such as toiletries, tooth paste, parfume, cosmetics, etc). Make sure you don't wear any on yourself either whan you camp! Hanging food in trees has to be very well done with the proper techinque because most bears climb trees. Black bear in North America are actually very good climbers. A lot of people use techniques such as hanging your food with counter balances. You can not just hang your food from a branch it will make things worst. Note that bears has a sense of odor 8 times more developped than dog so they'll smeel your food from miles away. If the breas are a serious problem and you have to carry some kind of food, I would recommend to stick to campground as they usually have bear-proof boxes (at least in North America they do). Be aware that post hibernation time is the most dangerous time to camp in bear countries.If camping in camgrounds is still an issue and that you need to carry food and for an extended period of time you might want to consider to carry a bearproof container. I never did because they are heavy and I never traveled long enough in bear countries, but I know they do exist. Double wrap anything that has an odor in sealed ziploc bags.Another advice is to contaxct the local wildlife authority and they will tell you where you can find camground and which area are not safe.I hope this helps.

Does anyone have any info on Romania and bears? I will be travellign through the centre of Romania, and onto Ukraine. I am lead to believe it is Bear country and so would like to take every precaution i can!